salohome.com: New Baby...new beginning to the blog

HI! I know it's been over a year since I posted...life is the only excuse I have for missing so much. Good thing I at least have pictures.

I will just start up again posting current stuff...I'm not going back over the missed year...too hard.

I'm starting off my Blog-revival with our new addition, Shali Renee :)

Here is our birth story...
I woke up the morning of September 21st at 5:30 am. I went to the bathroom and thought perhaps my water may have broken...if not, this was definitely happening today.
I tried to go back to sleep thinking I would be taking advantage of some extra snoozing. I felt the need to walk everywhere. So no more sleeping. The girls filed in like ducklings right behind me when they woke up. I had my first contraction at 7:24 am. We loaded the girls up, dropped Laney off, dropped Tana off, and Scott drove very fast to the hospital in Sun City West...basically Surprise. My contractions went 15 min, 12 min, 10 min, 8 min, 6 min, 5 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min 2 min 2min right as we were driving into the parking lot. In we went, I got some bracelet on my wrist, up the elevator, into the labor waiting area. Changed into a gown, the nurse strapped on some monitors, and tried to start an IV. Scott the whole time is saying to the nurses "she goes fast...she goes really fast". I remember throwing up, the nurse checking me and I was dilated to 5 cm. I wasn't in that room much longer and over across the hall we went. I don't remember being there but just a few minutes when my contractions got very intense. I asked for an epidural...knowing in my heart this was probably going to be like last time and I would have the baby too fast for the drugs...
They checked me and I was dilated to 9cm.
I remember getting right in Scott's face "I want an epidural, this hurts!" They scanned something on my bracelet and something on the computer and remember the nurse saying "we gotta get those fluids in you so we can get you that epidural and I had to push. I got on my knees for two more pushes and felt her head. I laid down on my side and pushed again and her head was out. Pushed again and she was born. 9:24 am 7 pounds 3 ounces 20". They laid her on my chest immediately and she was calm a quiet for an hour. They took her to weigh her while they tugged and pulled on my placenta which was not letting go. Eventually they got that out...ouch! I remember the nurse saying "I didn't get any antibiotic in her..."
That first day and first night were wonderful. She was breastfeeding awesome. I got very little rest with all the excitement and adrenaline. I finally fell asleep at 3am and was woke up at 5 by the nurses needing to take my brand new bundle to the NICU for IV antibiotics. Needless to say this was not ideal, nor the way I wanted things to play out...but they had caught the presence of a bacteria in her blood and were on top of it immediately. As I know with baby calves, if you wait those few extra hours you get behind the eight ball and there is no catching up completely without damage. For the next 10 days I hung out all day and some nights in the NICU with her, just holding her and nursing her, and loving her. I was more than exhausted when I finally got to bring her home Thursday night October 1. Here are some pics from birth until 1 month...how fast and slow that month went :)